Death Note (film)
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| Death Note | |
|---|---|
 A promotional poster of Death Note: The Last Name |
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| デスノート (Desu Nōto) |
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| Genre | Detective Fiction, Drama, Fantasy,Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Shōnen, Supernatural |
| Live action film | |
| Director | Shūsuke Kaneko |
| Producer | Toyoharu Fukuda Takahiro Kohashi Takahiro Satō |
| Composer | Kenji Kawai |
| Studio | NTV, Warner Bros.[1] |
| Licensor |   VIZ Pictures, Warner Bros. |
| Released |  June 17, 2006 August 10, 2006 September 8, 2006 October 19, 2006 November 9, 2006 September 27, 2007 April 25th 2008[2] May 20, 2008 |
| Runtime | 126 min. |
| Live action film: Death Note: The Last name | |
| Director | Shūsuke Kaneko |
| Producer | Toyoharu Fukuda Seiji Okuda Takahiro Satō |
| Composer | Kenji Kawai |
| Studio | NTV, Warner Bros.[1] |
| Licensor | VIZ Pictures |
| Released | October 28, 2006 November 3, 2006 November 24, 2006 December 28, 2006 February 1, 2007 September 27, 2007 |
| Runtime | 141 min |
Death Note (デスノート Desu Nōto?) is a series of two live-action Japanese films released in 2006 and based on the Death Note manga series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. The films primarily center on a university student who decides to rid the world of evil with the help of a supernatural notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it. The two films were directed by Shūsuke Kaneko, produced by Nippon Television and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Japan.
A spin-off film directed by Hideo Nakata by the name of L: Change the WorLd was released on February 9, 2008.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Light Yagami is a To-Oh University (東応大学 Tōō Daigaku?)[3] student who resents the crime and corruption in the world. His life undergoes a drastic change when he discovers a mysterious notebook, known as the "Death Note", lying on the ground. The Death Note's instructions claim that if a human's name is written within it, that person will be killed. Light is initially skeptical of the Death Note's authenticity, believing it is just a prank. However, after experimenting with it and killing two criminals, Light is forced to admit that the Death Note is real. After meeting with the previous owner of the Death Note, a God Of Death named [[God Of Death] (Death Note)#Ryuk|Ryuk]], Light seeks to become "the God of the New World" by passing his judgment on criminals.
Soon, the number of inexplicable deaths of reported criminals catches the attention of the International Police Organization and a mysterious detective known only as "L". L quickly learns that the serial killer, dubbed by the public as "Kira" (derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the English word "Killer"), is located in Japan. L also concludes that Kira can kill people without laying a finger on them. Light realizes that L will be his greatest nemesis, and a race to prove mental superiority between the two begins.
[edit] Intent with the films
Director Shūsuke Kaneko, in his production notes, says that people may feel that killing "bad ones" is fair but humans need to understand the power of the Death Note. Kaneko adds that the psychological fear of dying could be "more nightmarish than Kaiju (monsters) destroying cities and killing people."[4]
Kaneko also stated that he wanted the film to "focus on psychological pain," explain how the deaths occur, and explain how younger people begin to like Kira.[5]
[edit] Conception and development
Kaneko said that he removed many of the interior monologues present in the manga versions in the film so the audience could guess what the characters think; Kaneko described this process as how the creators produced "dramatic tension."[6]
The director said that the most difficult portion of the manga to film was the scene when the investigation begins after the authorities conclude that a person is responsible for killing the criminals; Kaneko added a scene in which L explains his logic via his personal computer in order to make the film "much more believable," to "excite people," and to clearly convey to the audience that the scene will lead to a struggle between L and Light.[6]
[edit] Filming
Kaneko chartered an underground line to film a particular scene in the first film; this was the first time in Japanese filming history that an underground line was used. Kaneko used about 500 extras throughout the first film.[5]
[edit] Remake
Vertigo Entertainment is to develop a US Death Note remake. Vlas and Charles Parlapandies will be writing the screenplay. [7]
[edit] History
The first film, simply known as Death Note, premiered in Japan on June 17, 2006 and topped the Japanese box office for two weeks, pushing The Da Vinci Code into second place.[8] It is mostly faithful to the manga, starting in medias res with Light in a university and flashing back a year or so to when he received the Death Note. It ends with his first meeting with L.
The second movie, Death Note: The Last Name, premiered on November 3, 2006, and instantly topped the Japanese box office,[9] remaining at number one for four straight weeks,[10] and grossed 5.5 billion yen in Japan by the end of the year, making it one of the year's highest grossing Japanese films.[11] It combines elements from the rest of the storyline creating an outcome similar to the manga, but with a few key differences.
Both films star Takeshi Kaga, who is best known by North American audiences as host Chairman Kaga of the original Japanese version of Iron Chef, and Tatsuya Fujiwara famous for his role in both Battle Royale movies.
There is a spin-off, featuring L as the protagonist,[12] titled L: Change the WorLd,[13] directed by Ring director Hideo Nakata and set in the United States, which was released in February, 2008.[13]
Death Note (死亡筆記) was released in Hong Kong on August 10, 2006, Taiwan on September 8, 2006, Singapore on October 19, 2006 & Malaysia on November 9, 2006 with English and Chinese subtitles. The sequel was released in Hong Kong on November 3, 2006, in Taiwan on November 24, 2006, in Singapore on December 28, 2006, and in Malaysia on January 25, 2007, with English and Chinese subtitles. The world premiere was shown in UA Langham Place cinema in Hong Kong on October 28, 2006, and this film is the first Japanese movie to have its world premiere in Hong Kong. It is also available in American specialty stores. Although the dialogue is still only in Japanese, the Hong Kong release of the DVD has English subtitles (the Japanese release only has Japanese subtitles). "Death Note" was released in the UK on 25th April 2008.
The first movie briefly played in certain North American theaters on May 20th and 21st.[14] The theatrical version will feature actors from the English dub of the anime voicing over their respective characters and has not been rated, but given the equivalent of a US "R" rating. Although there is little in the movie to justify this, the apparent presence of a couple uses of the "F" word in the English Dub (missing from subtitled releases) is an automatic "R" by MPAA rating rules. A DVD release is scheduled for September 16, 2008, with The Last Name arriving soon after.[15]
[edit] Soundtracks
[edit] Theme Songs
Death Note
Death Note: The Last name
[edit] Cast
- Light Yagami/Kira: Tatsuya Fujiwara
- L/Ryuzaki: Ken'ichi Matsuyama
- Ryuk (voice): Nakamura Shidō
- Soichiro Yagami: Takeshi Kaga
- Misa Amane: Erika Toda
- Raye Iwamatsu: Shigeki Hosokawa
- Naomi Misora: Asaka Seto
- Shiori Akino (original character): Yū Kashii
- Rem (voice): Shinnosuke Ikehata
- Sayu Yagami: Hikari Mitsushima
- Sachiko Yagami: Michiko Godai
- Watari: Shunji Fujimura
- Touta Matsuda: Sota Aoyama
- Shuichi Aizawa: Shin Shimizu
- Hirokazu Ukita: Tatsuhito Okuda
- Kanzo Mogi: Ikuji Nakamura
- Sanami (original character): Miyuki Komatsu
- Kiyomi Takada: Nana Katase
[edit] DVDs
Currently these film DVDs have been released in Japan:
- Death Note The Movie
- Death Note the Last name
- Death Note Movie 3-Disc Set
- Death Note Movie Documentary: DEAD or ALIVE
- L: Change the WorLd
[edit] Reception to first film
A press release stated that 80% of viewers in one theater described satisfaction with the film. The film earned $41 million United States dollars in Japan, $1.9 million USD in Hong Kong, and $1.6 million USD in the Republic of China. A 2007 The Star (Malaysia) article states that more than ten film companies in the United States expressed interest in creating a remake.[16]
[edit] Creator's reception to creation
Shūsuke Kaneko indicated mixed feelings while directing the movie; he said that he felt "a little reservation" at how the movie would perform since the film "uses ‘death’ to entertain the audience" and feels "morally unsettling." Kaneko theorizes that the film may have performed well because of the internet culture of Japan. Kaneko said that use of the Death Note had similarities to how users attack one another on message boards and blogs. In addition Kaneko said that death is "carefully" concealed to the point where "people don’t even think about it."[16]
[edit] Reception to second film
Christy Lee S.W. of The Star reviewed the second film. According to Lee, Kaneko "did a good job" in pacing the film; she added that the increase in pacing towards the end gave her difficulty in understanding some of the content. She said that Tetsuya Oishi, the screenwriter, "well fleshed out" the characters and therefore the viewer will easily empathize with them.[17]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Official Death Note live-action movie website (Japanese). Warner Bros.. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
- ^ Death Note Live Action Movie - BBFC Rating (English). BBFC. Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
- ^ To-Oh University scene. Death Note: The Last Name
- ^ Tai, Elizabeth. "... And justice for all?." The Star.
- ^ a b "The making." The Star.
- ^ a b Shōnen Jump. Volume 6, Issue 6. June 2008. VIZ Media. 8.
- ^ Vertigo Entertainment Developing U.S. Death Note Remake (2008-06-02). Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ "Death Note Tops Box Office Again", Anime News Network, 2006-06-27. Retrieved on 2006-12-18.
- ^ "Death Note Wins Japanese Box Office Weekend", Anime News Network, 2006-11-07. Retrieved on 2006-11-07.
- ^ "Death Note Notches Fourth Week at #1", Anime News Network, 2006-11-27. Retrieved on 2006-11-27.
- ^ "Japan's Top 10 Box Office Hits in 2006]]", Anime News Network, 2007-01-08. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
- ^ "今度の主役は“Ｌ”、映画・デスノート“外伝”上演決定！", Sankei Sports, 2006-12-01. Retrieved on 2006-12-11. (Japanese)
- ^ a b "Ring's Hideo Nakata to Helm Death Note Spinoff", Anime News Network, 2007-04-12. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
- ^ "1st Death Note Film to Run in 300+ U.S. Theaters in May", Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2007-04-17.
- ^ "Death Note Live-Action!! Trailer", Viz Media, 2007-04-14. Retrieved on 2007-04-17.
- ^ a b "Here’re a few hints of the second and concluding part of Death Note the movie, The Last Name.." The Star.
- ^ "A Name to Remember." The Star.
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